A Culture of War in America?

Written by Frank Li

Good news: Biden to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September, thus ending the longest war in American history.

Bad news: Where is America seeking the next war, thanks to its culture of war?

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1. Is there a culture of war in America?

Yes.

The image below says it all. For more, read: Jimmy Carter: US ‘Most Warlike Nation in History of the World’.

2. War and the U.S. Constitution

Here is the War Powers Clause from the United States Constitution:

[The Congress shall have Power…] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

Throughout American history, only five wars have been declared by Congress under their constitutional power to do so: the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II.[1]

3. War and America

Let’s go all the way back to George Washington’s Farewell Address, in which President Washington gave four warnings (What were four warnings that George Washington gave in his farewell speech?), of which two were specifically related to war:

1. He warned America that it should not become entangled in other nations’ affairs.
2. He supported a national budget, as a way for America to avoid unnecessary war and war borrowing.

Unfortunately, America hardly listened to him (e.g., Monroe Doctrine) and became much worse after WWII, when America became an empire. Two examples:

1. America is the only country that has had at least one war every decade since 1945, and none of them were declared by Congress.
2. America had never started a massive pre-emptive war against any country until March 2003, when it launched the Iraq War.

Worse yet, no war after WWII was declared by Congress!

How can you explain the huge mess after WWII?

4. Blame three things!

1. WWII
2. Communism
3. Terrorism.

Let me elaborate on each …

4.1 Blame WWII!

WWII brought one huge corollary benefit to America: America became an economic monopoly – Its competitors either destroyed themselves through the war (e.g., Germany and Japan) or doomed themselves after the war by adopting (or continuing) a fundamentally flawed system called “communism” (e.g., China and the USSR). As a result, America was the “last man standing”, making and inventing virtually everything, while naming its own prices. This not only finally ended the Great Depression, but also created unprecedented prosperity in America throughout the second half of the 20th century.

In short, WWII turned out to be very good for America, overall!

Unfortunately, WWII also brought one huge problem to America: America ended up with a monstrous military-industrial complex (MIC).

In the practically governance-less America, many new programs, from laws to government functions, including the MIC, can be created for some reasons, but few ever end for one simple reason: not to offend some special interest groups!

So, not only must the MIC be kept going after WWII, but also grow whenever possible! The only challenge has been to identify some enemies: Communism was a high visibility target then, just as terrorism is now!

4.2 Blame communism!

Here is my version of several wars after WWII, based on my readings in both the East and the West over the years.

4.2.1 The Korean War

Kim Il-sung was very inspired by Mao’s success in China and wanted the same for himself: the entire Korea united under him. So, despite the strong opposition of both China and the USSR, he invaded the South in 1950, resulting in America’s involvement.

Although America did not provoke it, the Korean War helped the MIC grow unchecked, requiring new victims to perpetuate its growth. Vietnam was the next opportunity.

4.2.2 The Vietnam War

Ho Chi Minh fought hard against the Japanese and the French, and was on the way to a total victory in Vietnam. But that was unacceptable to America, who not only helped decisively create the opposition, but also massively supported it. I believe America had actually engineered the Vietnam War, with massive escalations in the 1960s. The Vietnam War ended in 1975, with America’s “total retreat” in humiliation.

4.2.3 The wars in the 1980s

There were several small wars in the 1980s, such as Nicaraguan Contras. Most of them were engineered by the U.S., thanks to the MIC! For more, watch this video: Untold History USA.

4.2.4 The Cold War

The Cold War ended in 1991, with the disintegration of the USSR. However, instead of making the world a more peaceful place after the Cold War, the U.S. made it much worse by being the major source of instability all over the world, especially in the Mideast (The Middle East without America?), which largely, if not decisively, prompted the 9/11 attack!

4.3 Blame terrorism!

9/11 was indeed an attack on America. But to date, most Americans still do not understand the real reason behind it (9/11: Remembered in America, But Not Understood!).

The 9/11 attack gave the MIC a big new opportunity, which was seized without hesitation! As a result, America launched two big wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq, respectively!

5. Discussion

America has been madly in love with war throughout its life so far, especially after WWII ended in 1945!

Now, a few words on President Eisenhower … He not only coined the term MIC, but also explicitly warned America against it (Eisenhower’s Farewell Address).

For more, watch this short video: Eisenhower warns us of military-industrial complex.

Apparently, America failed to heed Eisenhower’s warning too, further to having stopped listening to George Washington!

Worse yet, how to jack up the culture of war?

One prominent example: Did the Pentagon Fake the Jessica Lynch Story?

How to stop America’s love for war, thus changing the culture of war?

Here is a real solution:

1. Reform the political system! As long as our politicians are fixated on “getting re-elected ad nauseam,” America will be stuck with wars, because war has proven to be very good, professionally if not personally, for many politicians, including John McCain, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama!
2. Draft: A war is justified only if you personally are willing to go or send your children there!

Now, let me expand the notion of war from shooting wars to the “fake” wars in America, such as “the war on poverty” and “the war on drugs.”

Simply put, they all have failed, or are failing, for two main reasons:

1. Wars rarely solve real problems. They just cause many new problems!
2. You can’t solve any problem without a real diagnosis first! On poverty and drugs, no real diagnosis has been done in America! For more, read: Racism in America.

Overall, Americans have been using the word “war” too loosely, as if it were a good thing …

6. Closing

There is a culture of war in America! It’s the fuel for Democratic Imperialism. We must denounce it, unequivocally and we must stop it as a concrete step to save America, as well as humanity!

President Biden deserves credit for issuing a specific date to end the war in Afghanistan. However, we must stand up against him, if he attempts to start a new war!

For more, read my book below.

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